1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to moveable and removable shelf separator systems useful in assisting in the separation, organization and display of goods on a shelf for convenience and point-of-purchase consumer vending.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Point-of-purchase vending and display systems are increasingly important in retailing of relatively small regularly-shaped convenience items at supermarket check-out counters, cigar, cigarette and retailing locations. These may include such items as cigarettes, packaged candy, gum and mints, packaged cookies, film or the like. Such items are customarily stocked so as to give a customer or clerk a wide and accessible selection of the various items, each stocked in its designated and pre-selected retailing area.
It is important in such display/vending environments and systems that each item be allocated the amount of space for stocking of the particular brand of product which is commensurate with its frequency of sale and consumer demand.
It is recognized that a point-of-purchase vending unit of regularly or uniformly shaped bins has its advantages, but because each item does not require the same space to meet consumer demand, regular or uniform stocking spaces for all goods is unrealistic. That is to say, those goods with high sales activity and demand, and consequently frequently called for by consumers, require more space and those with lower sales demand require commensurately less space. Because new items are always being added and demand for some older items falls, the vending/shelving systems require constant adjustment to accommodate and provide the required space for consumer display of particular goods. This holds true for consumer point-of-purchase vending situations, as well as in a retail sales clerk-assisted situations where the clerk must have the largest variety of goods available for sale within easy reach.
While open shelves might eliminate the problem of regularly-shaped bins or spaces, separators have been found to be necessary to keep each item of stock neatly segregated from other items. Desirably, since demand changes, moveable separators would be the most advantageous. Similarly, it would be desirable to develop a system that could be used in conjunction with existing open shelf space of varying heights or vertical spacing between the shelves, as well as to develop systems which are specially designed to provide adjustable spacing of height and width. Such separators must, of course, be easy to install or remove without complicated tooling or equipment.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a flexible, moveable separator for storage and shelf separator systems which is readily adjustable to provide variable spacing on a shelf or surface and is easy to install and use by the vendor.
A further object is to provide a removable separator unit and system in which the separator does not take up excessive display space.
A still further object is to provide a moveable and removable separator unit and system that can be adapted to modify existing shelving and display units to provide adjustable point-of-purchase display and vending spaces for consumer vending at minimal cost to the retailer.